Sara Duterte eyeing for re-election as Davao mayor or congressional seat

February 23, 2018

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Friday she will not run for the Senate in the 2019 elections.

In a press conference in Davao City, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte said she is considering to seek re-election in Davao or a congressional seat.

"I have only two choices. Definitely, I will not run for senator. So it's just city mayor or congressman," she said.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said Duterte-Carpio was one among those eyed in the senatorial slate of the ruling PDP-Laban.

But Duterte-Carpio formed her own regional political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), with four Davao Region governors as members.

Alvarez said Carpio-Duterte could be considered an "opposition" because of her formation of a new political party, apart from the PDP-Laban, which is headed by her father.

Alvarez's statement against HNP prompted Duterte-Carpio to issue strong remarks against Alvarez on her social media account.

Duterte-Carpio has said Alvarez "messed with the wrong girl."

She said if Alvarez has a problem in Davao del Norte, he should not attack her.

"He started attacking me, so, he's the one who has the problem. But for me, we are not friends. So there's no need for us to reconcile as friends because we are not friends in the first place," she said.

Alvarez has denied calling Duterte-Carpio as an opposition member. Celerina Monte/DMS